Word: handelsman
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...sexual revolution, part 2, has begun at last, according to a new study out of Australia. For one year, 55 men took an experimental birth-control drug. All of them had fertile partners; none of the women got pregnant. David Handelsman, the reproductive-health specialist who oversaw the study, says the men reported no serious side effects other than a slightly elevated libido, which some people pay good money for, after all. "We have developed the first reliable and reversible means of male contraception," Handelsman claims...
...women ovulate only once a month, men produce millions of sperm every day, which poses big challenges for a male "pill." Birth-control pills for women are effective almost immediately. For men, it takes longer for a drug to start working and to wear off--about three months in Handelsman's study...
...Handelsman and other researchers are using a dose of the hormone progestin to turn off sperm production. The problem is that this also suppresses testosterone production. So in order to avoid unpleasant side effects like lethargy and sexual dysfunction, most recent trials also gave men testosterone supplements. In Australia the men were injected every three months with progestin, and every four months they received a small testosterone implant under the skin of the belly, according to the study, published in the October Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism...
...contraception, men say they would prefer a pill, but researchers point out that an implant or an injection is far more reliable. Most women have trouble remembering to take the pill. "If we were inventing a female contraceptive right now, it wouldn't be in pill form," says Handelsman. Further research needs to be done to ensure that the added testosterone won't lead to prostate problems. Ideally, the treatment for men would involve only rare visits to the doctor and no injections. "In general, when you're going to do a male work-up, the last thing you want...
...lack of it, has a lot to do with why a pill for men has been so long in coming. Since the 1930s, scientists have known that testosterone supplements can lower sperm production. In the '70s they began tests to make a male pill. "In truth," says Handelsman, "[it] really should have been invented in the '60s." But nothing stalls science faster than questionable demand. The belief was--and often still is--that men are just not interested in controlling their fertility. "Even at the best of times, most men are not great at thinking through the consequences of their...